MADRID (AP) — Spanish police snuck up on a British fugitive as he sunbathed, arresting him in a dramatic raid that even saw the suspect leap onto the roof of a nearby outhouse to try to get away.

The arrest of Andrew Terence Moran, 31, on Friday came some four years after he assaulted and escaped from security guards during an armed robbery trial in the United Kingdom.

Moran was found at a luxury villa in Calpe, a resort on the Alicante coast, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, an Interior Ministry statement said Sunday.

Police video footage showed how officers stealthily approached a swimming pool while hiding behind walls before pouncing on Moran as he relaxed in red swimming trunks.

As soon as police jumped over the walls, Moran tried to flee, leaping onto the tiled roof of a pool-side outhouse before being captured.

According to Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency, police also seized two handguns, 60 rounds of ammunition and a machete.

"Moran thought he could evade capture fleeing to Spain, frequently changing his appearance and using false identities," said Matt Burton, SOCA's head of investigations.

Moran and an associate, Stephen Devalda, 29, were accused of stealing 25,000 pounds (US$38,400) from a mail van in Colne, northwest England, using a handgun, machete and baseball bat. A security guard was injured in the May 2005 robbery.